1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for assessing and training automobile drivers, and in particular, driver with potential driving impairments.
2. Description of Related Art
In the decade and a half from 1990 to 2007, the number of seniors (over the age of 65) in the population increased by 21% (from 31.2 million to 37.8 million). The number of seniors over the age of 85 increased during that same time period by 81% (from 3.1 to 5.6 million). And, it is this latter group that has such an elevated risk of collision, especially of fatal collision.
In the next few decades the growth in the senior population is expected to escalate very dramatically. By the year 2030, the population of seniors over the age of 65 will have increased by 89% since 2007 (from 37.8 million in 2007, to 71.5 million in 2030); during that same timeframe, the population of seniors over the age of 85 will have increased by 71% (from 5.6 million to 9.6 million).
Commensurate with the growth in the senior population, the number of them who are licensed drivers has also increased. From 1990 to 2004 (the most recent year for which licensing data are available), the number of licensed drivers over the age of 65 increased by nearly 30%, from 22 million in 1990 to almost 29 million in 2004. Even greater increases have occurred in the number of licensed drivers age 85 and over—an increase of 79%, from 1.4 million in 1994 (first year data reported) to 2.5 million in 2004.
In fact, the population of licensed senior drivers is growing at a faster pace than the population of seniors themselves. This means that more and more seniors are becoming licensed or retaining their license. In 1990, 71% of seniors age 65 and over were licensed to drive, but by 2004 this had risen to 80% —a 13% increase. Among seniors over the age of 85, the increase has been even more pronounced—in 1994 (data prior to that year are not available), 40% of seniors over the age of 85 were licensed; by 2004 that figure had risen to 50% (a 25% increase in the licensing rate in a decade).
In 2004, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 6,199 drivers over the age of 65 were involved in fatal road crashes in the United States; another 270,000 were involved in injury collisions, and 806,000 were involved in property-damage only collisions. These numbers alone are cause for concern but the importance of the problem is underscored by the fact that, on a mile-for-mile basis, senior drivers are overrepresented in road crashes. Generally, crash rates are very high among teens, decline with increasing age, and then increase again with advancing age. The oldest senior drivers, those age 85 and over, have a crash rate that is almost 4 times higher than that of middle-age drivers and even rivals that of teens.
The elevated crash rates among senior drivers are even more apparent if only fatal collisions are considered. Drivers age 85 and over have a per-mile fatal crash involvement rate that is 16 times that of drivers age 40-49 and even 2 times that of drivers age 16-19. In this regard, it has been argued that the sharply elevated risk of fatal collision among seniors is due in large part to their frailty—as a consequence, seniors are more likely than younger drivers to die or be seriously injured in a crash of equal severity. This suggests that the increase in “fatal” crash risk with advancing age does not necessarily mean that senior drivers are “more dangerous” than younger ones but that they are more likely to be killed in the collisions in which they are involved.
This last point speaks to the importance of efforts that will prevent collision involvement among seniors as well as to those that reduce injury severity—e.g., encourage senior drivers to buy safer cars and to always wear their seat belts.
The fact that senior drivers have an elevated crash risk highlights the need for effective measures that will reduce their likelihood of a collision. This need has become more urgent in recent years. Shifts in demographics and lifestyle have resulted in more seniors in the overall population, a growing proportion of seniors being licensed to drive, more of them continuing to drive, and annual miles driven increasing at a faster rate for seniors than for any other age group.
Various techniques, systems and methods are available for providing driver education and training. Most driver training systems and methods employ actual, behind the wheel driver training as at least one component. Such driver training may or may not be supplemented with classroom instruction.
Also known are driving simulators in which images are displayed on a display device. In such simulators a steering wheel, brake and accelerator are typically connected in a feedback loop and under computer control the image displayed varies as a function of the driver's operation those components. Additional views, such as left side views, right side views and rear views may be provided within separate windows on the display device, or using separate display devices for views in addition to views simulating a forward view.
In United States Patent Application No. 20090181349, a driver training system is presented in the form of a computerized assessment system is described for diagnosing driving skills in a driver of the class of vehicle drivers having impaired abilities, such as a senior driver. The system utilizes prerecorded audio/visual training sessions for diagnosing the visual cognition, visual memory and visual recall abilities of a motor vehicle driver with interactive driving simulations presented through four active visual zones, representing a forward view, a rear view mirror view and the view representing both side view mirrors. That system was presented as providing a tool for rehabilitation of drivers having impaired abilities through visual cognition tests involves full motion driving simulations to assess visual search skills. Visual memory and visual recall of the senior driver are also assessed.
United States Patent Application No. 20100041001, discloses an attention training system that is said to improve driving skills in older citizens, by addressing the conditions of divided attention related to the Useful Field of View (UFOV). Reduced UFOV performance in older adults is said to be associated with poorer driving performance and more auto accidents. The positive consequences of the general UFOV training-induced performance improvement are said to include improved health-related quality of life outcomes and improved ability to perform activities of daily living. Participants are required to select a target image from among numerous candidate images. If the participant correctly selects the first target image, the participant is required to select the first peripheral location from the multiple peripheral locations. The presentation time is adaptively modified based on the correctness/incorrectness of the participant's selections. While the process is said to improve a participant's cognition, it does not present to the user an assessment that resembles a driving environment.
As important as such systems may be to the general goal of senior cognition, or even the goal of improved driving skills, any driving system geared to seniors must be able to provide them with concrete tools to improve actual driving performance. The social situation, driving skills and abilities, and general effects of the aging process mean that the causes of senior crashes are very different than that of a younger population, and will require different approaches to impact crash reduction. It would be desirable, then, to have a science-based senior driver program specifically designed to reduce collision rates, and thus extend the freedom of mobility for older drivers.
These and all other publications, patents and applications referenced below, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.